Under One Person: Starting from the Inheritance of Gods

Chapter 393 Li Yunlong: You fucking are really a talent!
Fan Xian and Teng Zijing waited on Niulan Street for a full half hour before a sedan chair swayed past, carrying the drunken Guo Baokun.

Before long, Fan Xian and Teng Zijing took down the servants of the Guo family, and Guo Baokun was even put in a sack.

"Do you know who I am? I am a disciple of the Crown Prince, and my father is the Minister of Rites!"

Fan Xian scoffed: "What a great reputation! I'm so scared! 'A traveler often grieving in autumn, a patient man for a hundred years, I stand alone on the stage.' Let me tell you, I'm going to beat you until you're sad, beat you until you're sick, I'm going to beat you until you, Guo Baokun, stand on the stage in this capital!"

As he spoke, he punched Guo Baokun in the stomach, making him vomit bile. Teng Zijing couldn't hold back any longer and hit him even harder, breaking several of Guo Baokun's ribs with a few punches and kicks.

"Fan Xian, you are Fan Xian! How dare you commit violence in the street!"

"Ouch, have mercy, be gentle, help me!"

"Stop hitting me! Please stop!"

"father---!"

Guo Baokun, drunk and savoring the poems published by the Poet Immortal tonight, was suddenly robbed by Fan Xian and Teng Zijing, and was also beaten up for no reason.

All he did was say a few things that belittled Fan Xian at Zuixianju.
And this is how they retaliated!

Is there any royal law?
Where is the law of the land? Where is justice?
After Teng Zijing vented his anger, Fan Xian grabbed Guo Baokun and said, "I have something to ask you, so be sure to tell me the truth!"

Guo Baokun admitted defeat and nodded repeatedly: "I'll talk, I'll definitely tell the truth!"

Why did you kill Teng Zijing's wife and children?

"Who?"

Guo Baokun was momentarily stunned. He had initially thought that Fan Xian was retaliating because he had slandered Fan Xian's poetry, but he hadn't expected that it would involve someone else as well.

"Are you playing dumb with me?"

Fan Xian's eyes flashed, and he punched Guo Baokun in the stomach again. However, Fan Xian held back, otherwise, with his ninth-rank cultivation level, one punch would have killed Guo Baokun right there.

Teng Zijing, standing to the side, was even more furious. In his opinion, the disappearance of his wife and children was definitely related to Guo Baokun. Now that Guo Baokun was pretending to be stupid, Teng Zijing immediately stomped harder on Guo Baokun's shin.

With a crisp "crack," the shinbone split open.

"what!!!"

"I really, I really don't know!"

While weeping bitterly, Guo Baokun desperately tried to recall the name Teng Zijing. Fortunately, he had a good memory, otherwise he would not have been able to become a compiler in the palace.

"Wait, wait, wait, I remember Teng Zijing. What does his wife and children disappearing have to do with me?"

Teng Zijing could no longer contain himself. He grabbed Guo Baokun and was about to interrogate him, but Fan Xian stopped him.

"Your current identity is that of a dead man!" Fan Xian warned in a low voice.

"I can't care less!"

Teng Zijing's eyes were bloodshot, and he was extremely agitated, looking like he was ready to risk everything.

While Fan Xian and Teng Zijing were arguing, Guo Baokun tried to sneak away with his broken leg, but was pulled back by the sharp-eyed Fan Xian.

Fan Xian spoke up: "You killed their entire family, and now you're saying it has nothing to do with you?"

As he spoke, Fan Xian swung his fist and struck Guo Baokun's face, causing Guo Baokun to howl in pain.

"I really don't know!"

"You won't tell, huh? Then I'll beat you to death!"

At this moment, Guo Baokun displayed some of the integrity of a scholar: "Even if you beat me to death, I cannot bear such a crime. I truly did not kill his wife and children..."

Guo Baokun's voice grew weaker and weaker until he finally fainted from the pain.

Fan Xian then stood up and looked at Teng Zijing, saying, "I don't think he's lying. The document says he ordered his servants to break down the door and destroy the family. Such arrogance is not in his nature."

"Moreover, when he dealt with you, he instructed the government to use torture to convict you. He was smart and acted in a manner typical of an official's son, leaving no room for criticism or foul play."

"Then why did you suddenly stop caring about anything?"

Teng Zijing looked thoughtful: "But how could the documents from the Oversight Council be fake?"

Fan Xian chuckled and retorted, "Aren't you a dead man on the Surveillance Bureau's records too?"

"Do you think the document might be fake?" Teng Zijing forced herself to calm down.

Fan Xian didn't give such a definitive answer, only saying, "I don't know, we need to investigate!"

“If you want to kill him, you have to do it after you’ve figured things out. If it really is him, I won’t stop you from killing him.” Fan Xian looked at Teng Zijing with sincere eyes.

"How to check?"

"I've thought of someone, Wang Qinian. Do you know where Wang Qinian lives?"

Afterwards, on the way to find Wang Qinian, Wang Qinian appeared on his own and claimed that he had followed him all the way.

Fan Xian sighed, "Your lightness skill is indeed impressive!"

Wang Qinian smiled and said, "You flatter me, sir!"

After meeting Teng Zijing, Wang Qinian also revealed that the document was fake because he was afraid that Fan Xian would not spare Teng Zijing's wife and children after "killing" him, so he deliberately changed it.

The real reason was that the Dean was right there with him, watching Wang Qinian revise the documents. Who in the Supervisory Council would dare disobey the Dean's orders?
His heart was pounding with fear!
Little did they know that after Fan Xian and Teng Zijing left Niulan Street...

Three figures appeared where Guo Baokun had fainted: Chen Pingping being pushed by the shadows, and... Meng Fan.

"Acting recklessly and willfully, disregarding the consequences, and even using his own name—he's a bit stupid and a bit arrogant!" Meng Fan shook his head and said.

"You should know that in this cannibalistic city of Kyoto, underestimating anyone or easily trusting anyone could lead to your demise."

Chen Pingping responded in a tolerant tone, "The child is still young and needs to grow; I can understand that."

"Small? He's not small at all!"

Meng Fan snorted, then turned around and took a step forward, disappearing from the spot as if by teleportation.

Shadow exclaimed in admiration, "What superb lightness skill! You vanished without a trace in an instant. You truly deserve to be called a Grandmaster!"

A solemn expression appeared on Chen Pingping's face as he wondered if a Grandmaster could really achieve this.

"What should we do about Guo Baokun?" Shadow asked.

Chen Pingping raised his eyelids slightly: "Find someone to send him back to the Guo residence. His father is, after all, a high-ranking official. If he really dies here, things will get very serious!"

"understand!"

After dealing with Teng Zijing's matter, Fan Xian returned to Zuixianju, but he found a random spot on the second floor and spent the night there feeling wronged.

Then, pretending to have just come down from the third floor, he returned home from Zuixianju.

------

The next morning, Guo Youzhi filed a complaint against Fan Xian for assault at the Kyoto government office.

Both events escalated rapidly, but even faster than the news of Guo Baokun being beaten was the story of Fan Xian and the poet Meng Fan exchanging poems.

Upon receiving the news, Fan Xian couldn't help but twitch at the corner of his mouth.

Got cheated!
His appalling calligraphy was indeed widely publicized by Meng Fan.

Fan Xian: Du Fu, I really didn't mean to plagiarize your poems, nor did I have any intention of slandering you!
Meanwhile, in the palace, Emperor Qing had just finished breakfast when he received the original copy of Fan Xian's poem about climbing to a high place. He frowned and said, "The poem is not bad, but it's too gloomy and has been overshadowed by that 'literary genius.' The handwriting is also really ugly!" Eunuch Hou flattered him from the side, "It is truly a blessing for our Qing Kingdom that Young Master Fan has such poetic talent. Your Majesty should be happy. As the saying goes, no one is perfect, and a few minor flaws do not detract from his overall excellence."

Emperor Qing laughed and scolded, "You certainly know how to talk, but Fan Xian is indeed a talent!"

Before Emperor Qing could even rejoice, news rushed in that Fan Xian had beaten up Guo Baokun, the son of the Minister of Rites, the previous night.

Instantly, Emperor Qing's face darkened.

Emperor Qing: You're really something else!
At Zuixianju, Meng Fan chuckled after seeing Emperor Qing's reaction through the water mirror he casually summoned. He felt that Fan Xian's behavior last night was remarkably similar to someone else's.

That man was also surnamed Li, and he had just as many merits as he had made mistakes.

Other factions also reacted after receiving the news.

The Second Prince, Li Chengze, was looking at the copied poems and intended to appreciate them and even try to imitate the masterpieces of the poet, but he was interrupted by Fan Xian's sudden news.

"This is interesting!"

The second prince, seemingly enjoying the spectacle, instructed Xie Bi'an, "Let's go to the capital's government office to see what's going on, and also to check out our newly crowned genius, Fan."

The Crown Prince, on the other hand, was simply thinking of supporting Guo Baokun because Guo was one of his own. Otherwise, wouldn't his subordinates be disheartened?
The position of Minister of Rites is worth the Crown Prince's effort to win over, even if it means offending Fan Xian.

Even if he offended him, could Fan Xian simply apologize for the misunderstanding and refuse? Would he dare to refuse?
There are no permanent enemies, no permanent friends, only permanent interests.

The Crown Prince is quite adept at the ways of officialdom in the court; it's either the East Wind prevails over the West Wind, or the West Wind prevails over the East Wind—just a bunch of opportunists.

Unfortunately, the crown prince misjudged one thing.

Fan Xian is not one of those seasoned veterans in the imperial court.

Kyoto Prefectural Government Office.

Guo Baokun lay there wrapped up like a rice dumpling, while Fan Xian looked around curiously, as if he were curious about everything.

Before long, Mei Zhili, the prefect of Kyoto, arrived.

"Who is in the hall?"

Guo Baokun once again chose his like-minded friend He Zongwei as his lawyer.

However, when faced with Guo Baokun's accusation against him, Fan Xian pretended not to know and feigned ignorance, saying, "Hey, how come this says I hit Young Master Guo Baokun?"

"May I ask where Young Master Guo is?"

Young Master Fan, please look this way!

Under He Zongwei's identification, Fan Xian seemed to only then notice Guo Baokun, feigning ignorance as he asked, "I was wondering just now, what is this?"

Guo Baokun's eyes widened immediately.

"Could it be... that he is a person?"

He Zongwei said angrily, "My lord, Young Master Guo has been beaten to this state by Fan Xian, and he is still making sarcastic remarks!"

Fan Xian, with his silver tongue, retorted, "If I say he's a person, then I'm being sarcastic. Does that mean he's not a person?"

Then, in He Zongwei's so-called evidence identification, Fan Xian was indeed very clever. With his explanation, he cleared himself of all charges in just a few words.

"As everyone knows, last night I had a pleasant conversation with the Grandmaster Poet Immortal, and we slept side by side that night. How could I have had time to fight Guo Baokun?"

Mei Zhili hesitated for a moment: "Is there any witness?"

Fan Xian declared confidently, "The Immortal of Poetry himself is a witness; we can invite him to the capital's government office for a confrontation!"

Mei Zhili's face darkened. Who am I? A mere prefect of the capital, what face do I have to invite a grandmaster?

I'm already in a good mood if they don't kill me with one sword.

Back then, the Immortal of Poetry casually pierced through more than 300 armors with a single flick of his wrist. Even if all the yamen runners in the capital were gathered together, they still wouldn't be enough to kill more than 300!
It's just a matter of someone flicking it lightly.

Even the Grandmaster testified that his small temple couldn't afford to invite that great Buddha.

"Is there anyone else who can testify?"

Fan Xian said, "Last night, many people heard the courtesan Si Lili reciting poems. Everyone present can testify to this. Moreover, the servants who swept and cleaned Zuixianju this morning can also prove that I did not leave Zuixianju last night."

Fan Xian said this because he was certain that Mei Zhili would not dare to disturb Meng Fan.

As the saying goes, even a seventh-rank official is respected before the prime minister's gate. Even maids and servants, serving before a grandmaster, are enough to make Mei Zhili think twice.

There's no guarantee that the Grandmaster won't take a liking to someone. Better safe than sorry. If he offends the Grandmaster, he might lose his position in the capital.

When serving as an official in the Qing Kingdom's court, one must always think twice before acting.

Think of danger, think of change, think of retreat.

We must also blend in with the world.

Mei Zhili's ability to reach this position, and the fact that he is adept at navigating social situations, goes without saying.

Mei Zhili wiped the cold sweat from his cheeks and said with difficulty, "Since this matter involves a Grandmaster, I think we shouldn't trouble others. I trust Young Master Fan."

But just when Fan Xian thought he had it all figured out...

The announcement of "His Highness the Crown Prince has arrived" startled Mei Zhili, who hurriedly stood up, his lips trembling.

He Zongwei assured Guo Baokun with absolute certainty, "Young Master Guo, Fan Xian is finished!"

"Meet His Highness the Crown Prince!"

Everyone else was kneeling, but Fan Xian remained standing. He did offer a bow, but he didn't lower his head.

After all, he didn't even kneel before Emperor Qing, let alone the Crown Prince.

The Crown Prince helped Mei up with proper etiquette.

Mei Zhili trembled, his expression respectful and humble, and bowed deeply, asking, "Your Highness, what brings you here?"

"I've come to watch you preside over the trial!"

"I wouldn't dare!"

"Your Highness, please take a seat!"

But the Crown Prince would never do something that would overstep his bounds and give others cause for criticism. He simply pulled up a stool and sat down next to the Prefect.

Then, as if instructing a subject, he addressed Mei Zhili, saying, "Sit down!"

"No...no, I wouldn't dare!"

Mei Zhili trembled with fear. The Crown Prince sat down to the side; how could he possibly have the right to sit in the main seat?

The Crown Prince reminded him, "Mei Zhili, you are the Prefect of the Capital, don't misunderstand your position!"

Mei Zhili immediately obeyed and went to the main seat. Just as he was about to sit down, the Crown Prince suddenly said, "Get up, everyone!"

Mei Zhili felt as if he had been stabbed in the buttocks; the moment his bottom touched the seat, he jumped up.

At the same time, He Zongwei and the others who were kneeling below also stood up.

The Crown Prince turned to look at Mei Zhili, frowning as he said, "I was talking about them, not you. You handle your case, don't worry about me!"

(End of this chapter)